"The main production regions of sweet potato are Sichuan, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Guangdong and Hainan. Every year after the Chinese New Year, the Hainan sweet potatoes start to go on sale in small numbers. The collective market period is from March to May. In the past few years, the favourable situation on the sweet potato market has encouraged many farmers to increase their cultivation surface. As a result, the production volume of sweet potatoes in Hainan this year has doubled compared to the year before. The price of the sweet potatoes on the market has also gone up slightly," says Mr. Wu Fengyao from Dongfang Xiangshu Modern Ecological Agriculture.
"Hainan is located on the Northern edge of the tropics, so it has a tropical monsoon climate and is often called 'a natural greenhouse'. The yearly average temperature here is 22°C to 27°C, which is the perfect environment for the growth of sweet potatoes. The company is located in a cultivation ground of 86 hectares. We have Gaoxi N°14 (20 hectares), Dongfang potato (53 hectares) and purple potato (13 hectares)."
"With the help of an 'internet+' model, we have been able to sell all our varieties online since 2015. It has effectively improved the reputation of our product. At first, the proportion of online sales was about 10%, but nowadays it has grown to about 50% of sales. Currently our sweet potatoes are mainly sold in the wholesale markets and supermarkets of first-tier and second-tier cities. In the future, we hope to develop our online sales services further so we can connect to even more online sales platforms."
"I am pretty satisfied about the sales during this season. The interest of consumers increases by the year. As living standards have been increasing, people have also demanded higher standards for their food products. Because sweet potatoes are abundant in trace elements and are very healthy, they are very much appreciated by consumers. This is what has increased our sales."
